


Black and Blue and Red Too

by chasethewind



Series: Dribbles and Drabbles [8]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-14
Updated: 2014-01-14
Packaged: 2018-01-08 17:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1135596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasethewind/pseuds/chasethewind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nobody's perfect. He had to constantly remind himself that there would be good days and bad days and that he had to deal with them as they came.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black and Blue and Red Too

**Author's Note:**

> I got the inspiration to write this drabble from that pic Stephen posted on Facebook last night. Then I heard this song and just a little bit of it resonated with the story. It’s short and sweet, so I hope all y’all enjoy it.
> 
> Special thanks to hopedreamlovepray, anthfan and girlwithsixsmiles for the beta.

_But I never meant to hurt you_   
_I know it’s time that I learned to_   
_Treat the people I love like I wanna be loved_   
_This is a lesson learned_   
_-“Nobody’s Perfect” Jessie J_

He'd told her he was fine, that nothing was wrong, that she could go home early. He should have known she'd lose track of time like she always did on the weekends with her computer updates and whatnot. He also shouldn't have been surprised when he stalked into the lair with his hood almost completely covering his eyes and she immediately came to him with that look that told him she was well past her bullshit tolerance for the day.

Today was just not his day.

"Oliver!" The sharp gasp that escaped her lips when she caught sight of the bruise forming over his left eye felt like a dagger in his chest. She shouldn't have been here to see this. He'd already put her through enough hell as it was. Her life didn't need to revolve around constantly taking care of him.

But here she was, her hand gently grasping his forearm as he stared down at her feet refusing to meet her gaze for fear of seeing what desperation this new injury would put on her beautiful face. He hated seeing the pain in her eyes because he knew how much she worried about him while he was under that hood. It was unfair to put her through it over and over again.

If he was really being honest with himself, though, he was grateful that she stayed through the worst times because then it made the good times feel even better. Besides, it was hard to deny that having her there to fawn over him in these awful moments helped him heal just a little faster because he knew he had someone in his corner who was willing to help him even when he refused it.

"Oliver, please, let me take a look," she begged, guiding him to the chair in front of her computers before forcefully pushing him into it.

He refused to lift his head though.

She wasn't taking no for an answer.

One cool hand slipped beneath his chin, tilting it up as the other slowly pushed down the hood. The audible gasp that echoed through the lair shouldn't have caught him off guard, but it did. The injury must have been much worse than he'd originally thought because it took a lot to get this kind of reaction from her nowadays. She had seen him go through many awful things from sewing himself up after bullets grazed his skin to near death overdoses that almost killed him. He thought a simple black eye wouldn't turn her stomach, but somehow it did.

"Oh, god... Oliver..." she whispered, her face twisting in a frown as she continued to stare at him with those mortified blue eyes. He hated seeing her like this, hated that she felt the need to try and shoulder some of his pain.

"Felicity, I'm okay," he tried to reassure her, but that had been a mistake.

"You're not okay!" she shouted in her loud voice. "You eye is practically swollen shut and I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be that shade of black and blue... and red too." Her thumb stroked just below the mottled skin and he winced involuntarily. The furrow in her brow deepened. "I'm gonna go get you some ice. Just stay put."

He didn't move. Instead, his head dropped so he was staring at the floor by his feet. He couldn't understand why he felt so ashamed having lost a fight to a kid that had been dosed with a drug that made him ten times stronger than a normal human being. But that's how he felt. And it had everything to do with the woman who was now making her way back to him with a bag of frozen peas in her hands wrapped in a towel.

He felt as if he'd disappointed her in some way by coming back like this. It was how he always felt after returning to the lair with cuts and bruises while she was there. A part of him felt like he needed to come back without looking like he'd been put through a meat grinder. But the more rational part knew that wasn't the reality of what he did. He would always come back bruised and battered no matter how hard he tried to avoid the punches. Nobody's perfect. He had to constantly remind himself that there would be good days and bad days and that he had to deal with them as they came.

It still wouldn't stop him from feeling guilty, though. The guilt must have somehow managed to filter through his steely mask because the moment she came back and tilted his head up, she frowned again, and this time it had nothing to do with his black eye.

"Oliver..." she murmured, her thumb stroking along his jaw as she eased the frozen vegetables against the side of his face that was beginning to throb from the pain. "Whatever it is you're feeling guilty about, you need to stop. Bad things happen. It's the nature of what we do. You can't help everyone, and you certainly can't stop from getting injured, so please, cut yourself some slack."

The gentle uptick of his lips eased the worry on her face. Her thumb swiped along his jaw once more before she let go of his chin and her hand dropped to her side. "You want some ibuprofen? It should help ease some of the swelling," she said as she turned and started to make her way towards where they kept the medical supplies. She returned moments later, pills in one hand and water in the other.

"Thank you," he quietly replied. The pills were quickly swallowed down with the water before he placed the bottle on her desk and turned to gaze up at her again.

She was smiling down at him, her lips a muted shade of magenta tonight. "Let me know if you need anything else," she said, her hand lifting to his shoulder and giving it a light squeeze before she turned to go.

"Felicity..." he called her back and she immediately turned on her heels.

"Yeah, Oliver?"

"I'm sorry."

A curious frown came to her lips as she cocked her head to the side and stared at him for a moment. "For what?" she asked, the uncertainty heavy in her voice.

"For..." He gestured to his face with his free hand.

"Wait, why are you apologizing to me for getting hurt? Does this..." she waved her hand near his face, "have something to do with me?"

"What? No!" he quickly backtracked. "This had nothing to do with you."

"Then you have nothing to apologize for," she said with a soft smile.

"But..." he tried to argue, but the finger she pressed to his lips shocked and silenced him.

"No buts," she murmured. "Remember what I said: bad things happen. You aren't responsible for everything so stop trying to shoulder the blame. Let it go." Her finger stroked over his lips once before she withdrew her hand and let it fall to her side once more.

This time her words stuck and he gazed up at her with his good eye and smiled. "Felicity..." he said. Her head tilted to the side as she gazed back at him with those soft blue eyes. He reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he added, "Thank you."

She nodded once, the smile still present on her face, and replied, "You're welcome."

He felt lighter; much lighter than he had in a long time. Her words always helped to ease his guilt. He was glad she had stayed that night even if she'd had to witness another one of his many injuries. She cared enough to worry about him, and that's what really mattered.


End file.
